French Poodle Found Alive After 29 Days Trapped in Venezuelan Earthquake Rubble

A 2-year-old French poodle named Beyli was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed apartment building in Catia La Mar, a coastal city in northern Venezuela, on July 23. Rescue workers operating heavy machinery in the Páez community’s Bloque 3 section spotted movement in the debris and switched to manual excavation, discovering the dog cradled in the arms of his dead owner, 44-year-old Ismely Omaira Guillén Cortesía. The animal had survived 29 days beneath the rubble following the June 24 earthquakes.

Two successive earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude devastated the region, killing more than 5,545 people according to official tallies released this week. Guillén’s 11-year-old daughter, Victoria Isabella Rengel, was not in the apartment at the time and survived by staying with a relative. Her father, Jairo Rengel, described the dog’s rescue as miraculous, noting that international rescue teams had declared all occupants deceased.

A veterinarian in Playa Grande examined Beyli and found severe dehydration, ocular ulcers in both eyes, and malnutrition, though the animal’s condition stabilized with treatment and his prognosis remained favorable. Rengel indicated the dog had also endured a fire that erupted during the disaster and the movement of rescue equipment across the debris field. Victoria expressed gratitude for her pet’s survival while grieving the loss of her mother and grandmother, and acknowledged the rescue workers’ efforts in a social media post.